Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Kenneth Mokgojoa: A Hard Day's Night

I recently communicated with Kenneth Mokgojoa and asked him if he had any particular story that stood out from his days with the Diplomats. Expecting to get something related to a match, he sent this:


“Jim, the story I remember is that it was after the night  game in Washington against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and we indulged in drinking after the game (1979, the Dips won 5-1). I opted to take one lady at her home after the party. I had enough to drink. What happened next, I was driving on the wrong side of the road. There was a car coming in the opposite direction and it overtook me. We nearly hit head on!

What followed was a police siren. It stopped me and gave me a test to see how much I had to drink. I tried to plead with them, telling them that I am an international player for the Washington Diplomats. They could not take my story and locked me in jail. The following day I went to court and I pretended that I could not understand English. I didn't answer any questions and there was no one who understood my language. That is how I escaped severe punishment. Although my driver license was suspended, and I was referred to the Alcoholics Anonymous organization!”